Race held at Chesterman Power Products in Tillsonburg on Sept 6 2011
Mention the word "Change" and people get exited. It seems the more we try NOT to change, the more we do. I'll get back to this in a minute but maybe there is some basis for this fear of change. Besides the fact that the change may make things better, it usually has a way of messing you up in some way that you didn't see coming.
We are into September, the kids are back to school and everyone has to adjust, new time schedules and places to be. We are very aware of the September change for families and as always, our "slow it down" summer program complete with 15 minute racing intermission gets modified and the "schools in" program returns. With it, we make sure start times are not delayed by long winded drivers meetings. The no "fixing" on the track rule is enforced tightly and we expect the racers to be ready to go when their class is up. Despite the racers all trying to win the race in the first lap causing numerous cautions we are always done in a respectable time allowing the kids to head home at a reasonable hour. Usually the racers and their teams are so punctual that we actually have them waiting around for us to get the show on the road. This week was no different. Racers rolled in by 6pm and the necessary sign in and entries are wrapped up by 6:30. Practice gets underway with the Beginners up first. Once all divisions have had their practice we go right into the drivers meeting at 7ish and racing follows. This week was no different and at 6:55 we started the drivers meeting with everyone standing around waiting for it to start. By 7 we were done and gave the Beginners their "5 minute warning" to get ready and go to the track. Things were going very smoothly as they usually do. As the officials were heading to their stations and the drivers were heading to the track, a Beginner team arrives at the track late. While just sitting down at his station, our announcer spotted them pulling into the parking lot and announced that it looked like the team was going to miss their first 10 lap race. No big deal, just an observation. Arriving at the track is very different then being ready to race--getting waivers signed, entires looked after, kart unloaded and driver dressed and pushed up to the track all need to be done. I will be the first to admit that occasionally we help a team rush through the paper work part in order to make the start of a race but I would say never do we hold up a race because someone came to the track late. It works well for us and it is the same with most sports. Show up right at the start time of a hockey/soccer/whatever match and see if anyone is interested in delaying every other family involved so that you can get ready. Not Likely! They start without you.
The race program got under way and the team that missed the race was ready to go for the next two mains. No big deal, I am sure it will happen to someone else. Come late--- miss some track time. That's how it works.
Why then at 9 am the morning after is my phone is ringing? So the "new team" owner can take a strip off me saying it is our fault his driver missed the first race and that in no way should we have let the races start 5 minutes earlier than posted and the next time it happens I can explain to his driver why he missed a race. I am not too sure he wants me to do that because the blame squarely falls on the circumstances that lead up to the late arrival. It happens, and I feel for you but 25 other families that are on time really don't care. They are ready. They made whatever sacrifices they needed to, and got to the starting line on time.
Having a team arrive late does not bother this author at all. Things happen to all of us. What does bother me is getting chewed out becuase we didn't wait for the late team. NO NO NO. That bothers me a lot.
So have I offended anyone after hanging up the phone while getting chewed out or from adding them to the "what not to do"section of the newsletter? Likely. One thing that never changes; people that want to blame others for what happens in their life, always will. All I can do is point out the needed changes and hope they see the light.
On to the racing.
With the addition of 2 beginners mid season, the forgone winners are finding it a challenge trying to pass when there are already racers two wide on the track. Bennett, Green and Hall are generally front runners but with Meyer, Watson and McCormack all running very fast in the second half of the season, all bets are off in any individual race. # 57 Bryson Green is now fast enough that in the 10 lap sprint that he can go from back to front when he gets a couple of breaks. Not only that but # 93 Rayse Meyer was sitting in 2nd at the checkers. With results like that Rayse is going to have to start at the back more often. In the 20 lap mains the regular 3 made it to the top three. # 66 Colby Bennett, # 01 Jamie Hall, #57 Bryson Green in that order. Serving his notice that he means business, # 78 Dylan Watson set the 2nd fastest lap time of the night for the Beginners and broke the 10 second mark. A feat only himself and Bennett were able to do this week.
The Juniors tightened up the season standings as #48 Andrew Marshall pulled within 4 points of series leader # 52 Jacob Sheridan who finished the night in 3rd with # 77 Alex Hill in 2nd. Hill who is her own race to hold onto 3rd in the series is being threatened by 10x Cameron Davidson. The top 4 in this division all need to keep site of the series with it being so very close. Marshall appears to be in a position to finish strong and is just close enough he may pull it off. Taking wins in the 10 and 25 lap races, Marshall won for the night despite Sheidans win in the 30 lap main. This series is going down to the last week. The front runners have learned it is important to finish well every night. Maybe not win but being right close to the winner is what wins championships. It takes all season to win but you can lose it in a night.
The Seniors are even closer if you can believe it. # 20 DJ McRae had it all his way with front row starts in the 10 and 25 lap races but after starting back row in the 35 lap main had his hands full while climbing to 5th place. That was enough to win for the night but since he is not in the points chase the story ends there. Oddly, # 3 Jaxson Jacobs who is also not in the series points race after starting the season two weeks in was strong enough to grab 2nd place, winning the 35 lap main flag to flag. The big news is where did Courtnage, Courtnage, Westman, Perrott and Anderson finish in relation to one another? # 10 Blake Westman who was tied for 2nd had an slightly off night and dropped to 4th in the series. Not out of reach of the series lead but anymore off nights will drop him out of the standing. Oh the pressure we put on these kids. The more amazing race is # 39 Bea Courtnage and older sister # 79 Kate Courtnage are in a dead lock only one point apart and only 2 points behind # 87 Brad Perrott. Many nights these three finish consecutively. They all have 3 years or more experiance racing here and it seems that no matter what happens on the track, they seem to make their way through it and continue to push for the front. Again, all bets are off on who is going to win the championship. Everyone off the top 5 are worthy of the championship. Who will own it?
In the Experts it looked as though # 1 Holly Porter was going to take an overall win after winning the main and qualifying 2nd but a terrible 10 lap sprint finish dropped her to a distant 2nd. # 34 Scott Chesterman had things go his way again in the qualifying and 10 lap sprint but after getting sent to the rear in the main had his hands full to get a 3rd. Mid race, # 34 Chesterman,after an infield run set in motion a series of events that ended with a red light when # 4 Cody Day didnt read the situation and ended up on the wall and did a great end over end wreck. Scott Chesterman came on the track leaving room to the outside for whoever was there not knowing that # 75 Dylan Chesterman had just passed the # 4 car of Cody Day. Dylan took the hole, Day took the wall. Pretty similar to the wreck that took McRae out of the Seniors earlier in the season. If the back car does not/can not back out of it in time, the results are the same, tuck in or crash. For the second week in a row, # 37 Scott Kelly finished after going 3,6,2.
In qualifying, 4 drivers busted the 8 sec mark. Scott Chesterman, Holly Porter, Scott Kelly and # 15 Josh Beecroft. Yes we had a 250 4 stroke break into the 7 second times. Beecroft has been earning some very respectable finishes of late and seems to have the mechanical problems out of the way. When the bottom of the track is not being run by the 500's, that 250 can win races. Lets see if he can do it by year end.
What's left this season?
3 Regular Tuesday races . Sept 13/20/27
100 lap Challange Pot Luck supper Sat. Oct 8 noon sign in
2011 Banquet Sat. Oct 22 2011 5pm happy hr at Courtland Community Center(beside the fire hall)
Thats it thats all.
Chesterman Power Products
Tillsonburg Indoor MX
www.chesterman.caLinkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=14211.msg97120#msg97120
